David Taylor (born 8 July 1988), also nicknamed "Coal Train", is an Australian former professional
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer who played as a and in the
NRL
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
and the
Super League
The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
in the 2000s and 2010s.
A
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
State of Origin
A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Oval ...
and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
international representative, during his career he played for the
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...
,
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen pla ...
,
Gold Coast Titans
The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australia and New Zealand's national rugby league club competition. The ...
and
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...
in the NRL, and the
Catalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons ( French: ''Dragons Catalans'', Catalan: ''Dracs Catalans'') are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. The team competes in the Super League and are the only team from ...
in the
Super League
The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
.
Early life
Taylor grew up in the Central Queensland coal mining town of
Blackwater where he started off his career playing in the Under-7s with the Blackwater Crushers.
Taylor attended
St. Brendan's College in
Yeppoon
Yeppoon is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Livingstone, Queensland, Australia. Yeppoon is renowned for its beaches, tropical climate, and the islands out on the bay. Located from the city of Rockhampton, Yeppoon is the seat of the ...
and in 2005 represented Australia at schoolboy level. He also played Rugby Union before committing to League.
Playing career
Brisbane Broncos
In 2006, Taylor signed with the
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...
. Playing 49 times over 3 seasons, he departed the Brisbane side in 2009 to join South Sydney.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Taylor was one of the Rabbitohs' strongest players during his two seasons with the club, earning four
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
State of Origin
A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Oval ...
caps while with the club, as well as selection in the
Australian squad at the end of the 2011 season. Taylor was originally selected to play in the
2010 All Stars match but withdrew due to injury. In his first year with Souths, Taylor was selected to play for Queensland and made his debut for the Maroons from the bench in Game I of the
2010 State of Origin series
The 2010 State of Origin series was the 29th State of Origin series, annual best-of-three series of interstate rugby league football matches between the Queensland rugby league team, Queensland and New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales ...
. He played in all 3 games in 2010. Taylor played game 2 and was suspended in time for the third game 2011 and as a result, was unable to play. Taylor made his test debut for Australia in 2012 ANZAC test. He also played for Queensland in the
2012 State of Origin series
The 2012 State of Origin series was the 31st time the annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams was played entirely under 'state of origin' rules. For the fourth successive year a Queensland victor ...
. Taylor played in the first two origins then dropped for the third game in 2012. At the end of the 2012 season, Taylor was included in the Australian train-on squad.
Gold Coast Titans
Taylor signed a 4-year contract with the
Gold Coast Titans
The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australia and New Zealand's national rugby league club competition. The ...
in 2012. It was reported that Taylor signed the contract to be closer to home. Taylor joined the acclaimed forward pack of the Titans, which included
Greg Bird,
Nate Myles
Nate Myles (born 24 June 1985) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s, he last played for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League. A Queensland State of Origin and Australia national represen ...
,
Ashley Harrison
Ashley Harrison (born 18 May 1981) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a in the 2000s and 2010s.
He played for the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League, NRL. A Queensland rugby league team, Qu ...
and
Luke Bailey, all of which had played in their representative state teams. 2013 was a very up-and-down year for Taylor. Failing to make the
Queensland Maroons
The Queensland rugby league team represents the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football. Nicknamed the "Maroons" after the colour of their jersey, they play three times a year against arch-rivals New South Wales in the State of O ...
, as well as Taylor being dropped from the first grade squad, led to many media reports suggesting the Titans made one of the poorer signings for 2013.
Taylor was recalled to Queensland's squad for the second State of Origin match in 2014, replacing the injured
Corey Parker. He scored 7 tries from his 19 NRL appearances.
One of five Titans players charged with cocaine possession or supply in 2015, Taylor was initially stood down from the first grade squad, but recalled after pleading innocent. He was left out of the Queensland State of Origin team and was later dropped to the Titans Queensland Cup feeder club mid-season. In October, he was ordered to stand trial over the cocaine charges.
Catalans Dragons
On 4 August 2015, Taylor signed a 2-year contract with French Super League club
Catalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons ( French: ''Dragons Catalans'', Catalan: ''Dracs Catalans'') are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. The team competes in the Super League and are the only team from ...
beginning in 2016. He also announced his ambitions to play for
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
for which he is eligible through his
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...
n born grandfather.
Canberra Raiders
On 18 October 2016, Taylor was offered a train and trial contract with the
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...
and trained with the team during the 2017 pre-season. Based on his performances, the Raiders coach,
Ricky Stuart
Ricky John Stuart (born 7 January 1967) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the head coach of the Canberra Raiders in the NRL and a former rugby league footballer who played as a in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
He ...
, offered him a contract for 2017. He was available for selection from round three after serving a 2 match suspension.
In November 2016, Taylor was fined $1000 after he pleaded guilty to cocaine possession charges dating back to August 2016.
Taylor made his 2017 appearance off the bench for the Raiders in their 46–6 win over the Wests Tigers at GIO Stadium in Canberra.
Toronto Wolfpack
Taylor had signed to play with
Kingstone Press Championship
The Championship, known as the Betfred Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a professional rugby league competition. It is the second-tier competition organised by the Rugby Football League, the governing body for the sport in England, a ...
side
Toronto Wolfpack
The Toronto Wolfpack are a Canadian professional rugby league club based in Toronto, Ontario, who compete in the North American Rugby League.
The club originally competed in the British rugby league system but withdrew in the 2020 Super Leagu ...
for the 2018 season but before he could even make his debut it was reported on 18 January 2018 that Taylor, along with teammates
Fuifui Moimoi
Fuifui Moimoi (born 26 September 1980) is a rugby league footballer who plays as a .
He most notably played for the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League (NRL) from 2004 to 2014, in addition to playing for Leigh Centurions in the RFL Cha ...
and
Ryan Bailey, parted ways with the club by "mutual agreement" following a preseason training camp in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
. It was later reported that the players had twice missed curfew during the trip.
Central Queensland Capras
On 1 February 2018, it was announced that Taylor had been signed by the Rockhampton-based
QRL team, the
Central Queensland Capras
Central Queensland Capras are a semi-professional rugby league football club primarily based in Rockhampton, Queensland and representing Central Queensland. They currently play in the Queensland Cup, the premier rugby league competition in Quee ...
on a two-year deal to play in the
Intrust Super Cup
The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and is contested by four ...
competition. The Capras decision to sign Taylor was described by the media as him being handed a lifeline and an opportunity for him to get his playing career back on track. Upon signing with the Capras, Taylor claimed a couple of NRL sides were interested in signing him but he had declined their interest, preferring to return home. However, Taylor said that despite his reluctance to re-enter the NRL, the Capras had indicated that they would be prepared to release him from his contract if an opportunity arose for him to join another NRL club during his time at the Capras.
On 13 August 2018, television personality
Erin Molan
Erin Molan (born 24 August 1984) is an Australian television sports presenter.
She is currently a Primetime Contributor on Sky News Australia, radio presenter on 2Day FM and columnist on The Daily Telegraph.
Molan previously worked with the ...
was slammed by fans and the media for fat shaming Taylor during a segment on the Sunday Footy Show. Molan was forced to apologize to Taylor the following day taking to
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
to say “(I’m) absolutely appalled by this", she wrote. "Unreservedly apologise on behalf of the show to Dave Taylor. The panel were expecting the vision to show a gun try or a big hit as our gutsy play. There was no malice or intent to offend but that doesn’t matter. We are sorry".
On 20 June 2019, Taylor retired from rugby league, having played 22 games over one and a half seasons for the Capras.
References
External links
*
Catalans Dragons profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Dave
1988 births
Living people
Australia national rugby league team players
Australian rugby league players
Brisbane Broncos players
Canberra Raiders players
Catalans Dragons players
Central Queensland Capras players
Gold Coast Titans players
NRL All Stars players
Prime Minister's XIII players
Queensland Rugby League State of Origin players
Rugby league centres
Rugby league five-eighths
Rugby league players from Rockhampton, Queensland
Rugby league props
Rugby league second-rows
South Sydney Rabbitohs players
Toowoomba Clydesdales players
Tweed Heads Seagulls players